Weekly Mileage #105 and a Visit from my Dad

the girls received their neckerchiefs at their troop meeting this week

Monday we finally drove over the mountain to the Scout Shop and bought Sunshine's Scout uniform and handbook. She'd been attending troop meetings for almost 2 months, so it was past time, I just hadn't had the time to make the drive there and back.

Tuesday I took my laptop in to get fixed. That evening I finally stained the top of the desk that I built in the fall. I need to add the support arms inside to keep the top from slamming down, but it looks so much better now.

You can't tell from this angle, but this tree extended out over the water. Ocean climbed it and was going to keep going until I told him to turn around and come back. He did, but then tried to slide off the tree a smidge too early and ended up sliding down the bank into the river (thankfully a shallow spot), where he got soaked. He can be way too fearless for his own good.

Wednesday Sunshine had her orthodontist appointment. She's getting the last two stubborn teeth pulled in about a month (the earliest they could get us in), and the rest of her teeth have finally made enough progress coming in. In June we'll go back and find out when she can get her braces on, how much it'll cost, and how long it will take to straighten her teeth. We've been working up to this for the last six years or so, and it'll be nice to finally get her braces on. I'd hoped to have them all done before she hit the awkward early teen years, but that definitely didn't happen.

Since I was without my laptop, I took advantage of the unexpected free time to finally sand and prime a lingerie dresser I found on craigslist not too long ago. It's a tall, narrow dresser with seven drawers and I'll be using it instead of a file cabinet to keep all my paperwork under control.

Ocean was throwing rocks behind him, over his head (you can see splashes behind him)

Thursday I painted the dresser. It took several coats, but I like how it turned out. I came down with a cold on Monday evening and it got worse throughout the week, so I ran out of energy and didn't quite finish it yet.

Friday we went for a hike at our local trails park with some friends. The weather turned out to be beautiful and all the kids had fun playing in the river and exploring the banks. Both boys ended up soaked and sandy, but they had fun. We'll dress a bit more appropriately next time.

Dad was in the area(ish) for some work training, and he drove down Friday afternoon to see us before  flying home Saturday afternoon. Right after he arrived we drove Sunshine to her first Scout campout. Her troop is the one most organized one in the area, so even though it's a little farther away than we'd like, she and a friend from church both attend it. It's attached to a large, established, well-run boys troop, which is proving beneficial: experienced leadership and established patterns for helping the youth progressive through their advancements.

checking out the cool growth

Saturday morning before Dad had to leave we went for a hike through the old growth forest behind Montpelier. Dad was a bit taken aback at the trees that are just left to decay when they fall as part of their forestry plan. But we don't have nearly the fire hazards and wildfire danger they see out west, so it's not as big an issue here. Dead trees rot pretty quickly in our high humidity; if you want firewood to dry out, you have to be really careful about how you store it or it will decay where it sits.

River's hand in his pocket :)

Sunshine returned from her campout Saturday evening tired and sore, but ready for her next campout.

That cold that hung around and got worse also made me start losing my voice Friday evening. Saturday and Sunday it was mostly non-existent, aside from some hoarse squeaking. Lots of fun.

Weekly Mileage
Friday- 2.05 miles hiked with friends
Saturday- 1.81 miles hiked with dad, Mr M, and the boys
total- 3.86 miles

9 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
0 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

34.87 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
11.15 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
60.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
106.02 miles total